Interior Art: Claudia Leonardi
Coloring: Andrea Izzo
Publisher: Titan Comics
As a longtime fan of the "Life is Strange" video game series, it was with great excitement that I began reading the comic that continues the story following one of two possible endings for the first game.
Chloe Price and Max Caulfield have been living a new life for the past year in Seattle, and their relationship has evolved into something more. Things are going pretty well--Max has stopped using her temporal powers and the two are finding their way in a city that I really hope to visit one day. Things take a turn when Max begins having visions of alternate realities which could have come to pass had she and Chloe made different choices.
Meanwhile, Arcadia Bay is being rebuilt through the “generosity” of the Nathan Prescott Foundation. Between these two developments and the timing, Chloe and Max decide to return to the town to see if they can get a handle on what’s happening. The visions begin getting worse, causing Max physical pain and even drawing Chloe in. Max soon learns that the visions are in fact alternate timelines created through the different plot points in the game’s story. In one, Chloe’s family is still alive and well; in another, Chloe died from a gunshot wound; in another, Max died in the same car crash that claimed Chloe’s dad.
The strain of these visions is tearing Max apart, and before tearfully bidding Chloe farewell, decides to leave her timeline for another one that’s more stable. Interestingly, this timeline has Rachel Amber alive and well and living with her girlfriend Chloe. A couple years later and Max is settling into her new life, but never forgetting the one she left behind, nor giving up on returning to it and her Chloe.
One of the strongest elements of LiS is its story and the comic’s is just as well done. Over the course of six volumes you’re immersed in a creative, deep world that drew me in from page 1. There’s all sorts of Easter Eggs with characters from the first two games (LiS and LiS: Before the Storm) making appearances, plus a wide array of new cast members to meet. This isn’t just the “Max and Chloe” story. Returning characters and newcomers each bring a lot to the table and contribute in their own way. Author Emma Vieceli clearly has a lot of love for the game and it shows throughout.
The art of Claudia Leonardi and Andrea Izzo evokes memories of my time in Boston. It has that indie-artist look to it, maintaining the feel of the game series while at the same time standing on its own. The detail in areas like Max’s favorite coffee shop, the apartment the three share or any of the many, many settings is beautifully done.
Even if you’re not a fan of the game, this series offers an engaging story of a journey to find your home….and the people that make it that way.
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